My wife was outraged at one Mexican restaurant when she received a margarita that was fizzy. She asked what was in it and they had (a) made it with Sprite and (b) insisted that this was how you make a margarita.
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Regarding that, Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana (the oldest and best-known of the New Haven pizzerias) is famous for its white clam pizza, which features freshly shucked littleneck clams along with olive oil, grated cheese, fresh garlic and oregano. It may not sound particularly appetizing but it's great and has won multiple awards.
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I had perhaps the worst burger of my life in 1996 from some kiosk in Wolverhampton's city center. I have no idea what this weirdly pink, mushy/mealy sandwich was, but it was not a hamburger as advertised.

Horrid as they are, I actually developed a taste for them when I lived in Cambridge. I can still see myself standing in the rain after midnight, buying one from a street vendor on my way home from a pub crawl.
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We live in Wolverhampton. Mr Sizzle is a trap set late at night, and around the football matches, to catch the unwary and drunk. It is almost like a soberness machine, you never forget your first and only Mr Sizzle burger, because you'll remember it forever.

Horrible.

Would they have been around in 1996? And they're still around? If so, that does seem about right.
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Horrid as they are, I actually developed a taste for them when I lived in Cambridge. I can still see myself standing in the rain after midnight, buying one from a street vendor on my way home from a pub crawl.

On the other hand, this also conjures up similar memories of that burger.
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This is a big part of why I think "authentic" is a weird thing to pursue. That reviewer clearly didn't like this kind of pizza, and that's totally fine. Instead of complaining about how it wasn't real, she should've complained about how there wasn't enough sauce for her tastes.

And if you're more looking for adventurous eating, not something you know you'll like, authenticity still isn't much help: instead, you should look for places with interesting menus.

Authenticity seems both reductive and beside the point.

"authenticity" is something people talk about because they think it makes them look smart and "cultured." It's even more amusing when they don't even know what "authentic" is going in. Kind of like people who use big words incorrectly in an attempt to sound intelligent.
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"authenticity" is something people talk about because they think it makes them look smart and "cultured." It's even more amusing when they don't even know what "authentic" is going in. Kind of like people who use big words incorrectly in an attempt to sound intelligent.

Yeah, that's the thing -- you do have to be very careful about using the word "authentic" and knowing just what in the hell you're talking about. Like some people say that flour tortillas are not "authentic." Well, yes they are in parts of Mexico. Or that crispy tacos are not authentic. Well, yes they are, see: tacos dorados. (But the pre-formed crispy taco shell is an American thing, so there is some truth to that, but I have been in a place that made genuine tacos dorados and the person I was with suggested that it was "inauthentic" because of the fried preparation.)

Now, whether being "authentic" or not is important, that's up to the eater. I like searching for places that remain true to their traditions and keep it as similar to the way a food may be served in their home country, because, to me, that's what's fun about eating and exploring different cultures through food. This is not to say I don't enjoy food that caters to the tastes of the local population -- I absolutely do. But I like food that transports me to a different place, with different flavor combinations as well, and that gives me a baseline for how food of that culture is supposed to taste. Now is this good business sense? Probably not. Cater to the local tastes. But, for me, as an eater, when I eat ethnic foods, I really am curious about what flavor profiles are favored in their regions.
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Now, whether being "authentic" or not is important, that's up to the eater.

I'm not ashamed to admit that I like Taco Bell. It's good grub. When I go to a Mexican restaurant, though, it's not because I'm trying to satisfy the word "authentic"; I'm trying to get the food that I know and love that I've had in Mexico. If I go into an "authentic" Mexican restaurant and they're pushing chimichangas and fajitas, well, then, I feel defrauded of my time. It's not that I'm trying to check of the "authentic" box, but I really just want some good antojitos mexicanos, and not Taco Bell.

Taco Bell isn't just a bad version of Mexican food; it's something different (I'm using Taco Bell as an example; as I said, I enjoy it). When I lived in China, I went to my fair share of western restaurants. You know what? Most of them were authentic. They were bad and didn't really know what they were doing, but they were authentic.
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I'm not ashamed to admit that I like Taco Bell. It's good grub. When I go to a Mexican restaurant, though, it's not because I'm trying to satisfy the word "authentic"; I'm trying to get the food that I know and love that I've had in Mexico. If I go into an "authentic" Mexican restaurant and they're pushing chimichangas and fajitas, well, then, I feel defrauded of my time. It's not that I'm trying to check of the "authentic" box, but I really just want some good antojitos mexicanos, and not Taco Bell.

Taco Bell isn't just a bad version of Mexican food; it's something different (I'm using Taco Bell as an example; as I said, I enjoy it). When I lived in China, I went to my fair share of western restaurants. You know what? Most of them were authentic. They were bad and didn't really know what they were doing, but they were authentic.

Taco Bell is a good example. I live in a neighborhood that is 85% Hispanic. A Taco Bell just opened up. A bunch of comments on Facebook mentioned, why in the hell would a Taco Bell open up there where there are a million taco places in the neighborhood. Well, because it's its own category of food. It's not competition for authentic Mexican, and comments from the Hispanic community that also liked Taco Bell for what it is confirmed that. I happen not to like Taco Bell, even judging it understanding it's not supposed to be "authentic" Tex-Mex or Mexican or what not, but I get it. A lot of people think White Castle is total trash. I love it. And I love a McD's quarter pounder with cheese, knowing its not a may not be a good example of a fast food hamburger.
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I cannot believe I wrote "Brat House" and did not notice it. What the fuck is wrong with me?

Actually, I know. My brother just came back from Wisconsin Dells with his family and was talking about dinner at the Brat House Grill up there. That's my story and I'm sticking to it! (Seriously, I should know better. Not only have I been to that Brat Stop in Kenosha many times, I've been to the small one in the town (which doesn't seem to exist anymore? I can't find it. Did I hallucinate this? I swear c. 2008 I went to another location that was well east of the one on 75th Street, somewhere in town. Really small place, maybe 5-10 tables at the most?)
114

I'm hard-pressed to think of a seafood item that can survive the temperature in a pizza oven for the length of time the crust would need to bake.

Well-cooked seafood is underrated. Slow cooked fish, clams, calamari etc can be very good. (Calamari is like pork, it gets tough and then becomes tender after longer cooking.)

Japan is famous for raw fish, but there is also a long tradition of well cooked seafood. Salmon is traditionally preserved in salt, then cooked until most of the fat has dripped away, which concentrates the flavor.
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(Calamari is like pork, it gets tough and then becomes tender after longer cooking.)

That is only true of some cuts of pork (shoulder/Boston Butt in particular). The same happens to beef if you use analogous cuts (like chuck.) It's not the animal, but the part and whether it's a well-exercised part with lots of fat, collagen/connective tissue or a lean part with minimal connective tissue that is not exercised much.
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Horrid as they are, I actually developed a taste for them when I lived in Cambridge. I can still see myself standing in the rain after midnight, buying one from a street vendor on my way home from a pub crawl.

Nope. The tinned gravy burger is much more palatable that Mr Sizzle.
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Would they have been around in 1996? And they're still around? If so, that does seem about right.

Definitely around in 1996 (I think that's about when I had the ONE and proceeded to be an official harbinger of Mr Sizzle. "No, don't, really don't, you'll regret it." "Told you.")

Still around today I think, but I'm not sure if they're in the city centre or something to catch away fans on the way to a match on a Saturday afternoon. To be fair, there's far more choice in the city centre now of that time of night.

The secret of the city/town is that you headed down Chapel Ash to get your takeaways.
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Mr Wimpy's Quarter Pounder and Cheese is still my favourite burger. Over Five Guys and the Ilk.

The chain was bought out by Burger King in the early 90s, half of the restaurants got converted to BK, and I think the brand was sold off. They exist in the south of London still and some weird spots (disappeared from Service stations), but I live 100 miles from any of them.

Still miss 'em.

The remaining Wimpy outlets been bought out by Wimpy (South Africa), I gather, and brought in line with their branding and menus. Not the best fast food burger here (that'd be Steers), but definitely not the worst. But here, Wimpy are probably more popular for their breakfast menu. And are still at a range of service stations.
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Horrid as they are, I actually developed a taste for them when I lived in Cambridge. I can still see myself standing in the rain after midnight, buying one from a street vendor on my way home from a pub crawl.

God, this brings back student memories. These "burgers" were reviled and avoided, but the night Fiff fell through a jukebox (don't ask) and I was the only one with enough wit to take him to A&E/ER to be stitched back together..... at some point in the ravenous early morning, when it was still difficult to say which of us was more pissed, we stopped off and had one of these out of desperation. Poor bastard - cut to ribbons and then reduced to eating that....

In the Southwest the long-running joke I've heard comedians make is that most Chinese restaurants are staffed entirely by Mexicans, who can make the food just as good.

Heh... there's a very nice Chinese restaurant near our house. It's been in business for decades (the owners' granddaughter was in my daughter's class in high school).

Half the staff is Chinese, half are Hispanic.

And speaking of authenticity fails: we have several times hosted students from China for a few weeks in the summer. Of course we always take the to this place - not to show "see, we have 'Chinese' food too!" but to show them what Americans know of as "Chinese" food.

There's very little on the menu that they would get to eat at home, for sure.
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In the Philly area, where we're quite snobbish about our pizza and "standard" pizza is pretty much the same as what they have in NY, lots of mom and pop authentic Italian pizza joints have things like barbecue chicken and buffalo chicken pizza on their menus. I suspect the same is true in NY.
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